PHOENIX – One man is dead and a woman is in police custody after an early morning wreck involving a motorcycle and a pickup truck on the streets of Central Phoenix. Police believe alcohol might have been a factor.
It happened at about 5 a.m. Friday at Seventh Avenue and Bethany Home Road.
Witnesses said the motorcycle rider identified as 42-year-old Robert McComber was heading north on Seventh Avenue when an eastbound pickup truck ran the red light and slammed into him.
A woman who had just walked out of the Circle K on the corner across the street saw everything.
The truck rolled right over the motorcycle, hit the curb and flew into the air before slamming into a concrete planter, said an extremely shaken TJ Silvas.
A motorcycle rider herself, Silvas rushed to the injured rider's side, staying with him until emergency crews arrived on the scene.
Silvas said had the wreck happened just a few minutes later, it might have been her on the ground.
The male motorcycle rider, who has not been identified, was taken to a local hospital where he died of his injuries. He reportedly was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, but it was not enough to save his life.
The female driver of the pickup that hit the motorcycle, identified as 54-year-old Veronica Percy, was taken away in handcuffs, reportedly very unsteady on her feet as she walked.
She is suspected of driving under the influence. Test results are pending.